San Marcos Alamo Drafthouse on hold

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS (KXAN) - A plan to move Austin's Alamo Drafthouse into an empty shopping center in San Marcos has been put on hold. Tuesday, the city council tabled an incentive deal to bring the famous movie house franchise to anchor the Springtown development.

Mayor Susan Narvaiz cited two reasons: not all of the council members were up to speed on new developments and a technical issue on the city's website kept vital information from the public until the day of the meeting.

One piece of information was the Springtown development is up for foreclosure on March 2.

The development is just north of Highway 80 in San Marcos and west of I-35. The Springtown shopping center lost two large tenants in the last year. Target and JC Penny relocated their stores and a Best Buy planned for the center did not move in.

Jack Harrison has run his San Marcos Flower Company out of the shopping center since 1980. He supports bringing in the Alamo Drafthouse.

"Anything that's going to employ some people is good- it doesn't really matter what kind of business it is," said Harrison.

Mayor Susan Narvaiz said she thinks the Drafthouse would make a good anchor for Springtown.

"This is something the community can embrace," she said. "The synergy that could be created with a partnership of any kind on that piece of property renews that area."

In the summer of 2009, a deal with developers would have included restaurants and bars, along with the Alamo drafthouse. That deal fell apart after a group of Downtown business owners objected. They said the deal went against the city's promise to support a downtown entertainment district. This time, the developer is out of the picture and the city is working directly with the Drafthouse franchise holder, Triple Tap Ventures.

The city council will consider an incentive deal for the Drafthouse at their meeting Tuesday night.